Oregon, Washington state report suspected cases of unknown origin: The latest on coronavirus - POLITICO

Oregon, Washington state report suspected cases of unknown origin: The latest on coronavirus - POLITICO


Oregon, Washington state report suspected cases of unknown origin: The latest on coronavirus - POLITICO

Posted: 28 Feb 2020 07:13 PM PST

The boy attends Jackson High School in Mill Creek, Wash., about 22 miles north of Seattle in Snohomish County. The superintendent of Everett Public Schools has closed school Monday to allow for three days of deep cleaning. State officials are trying to trace the origin.

Health officials announced a second positive diagnosis in King County, a woman in her 50s who traveled to Daegu, South Korea. She is also in home isolation. Both cases are considered "presumptive" diagnoses until the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention verifies the positive test results.

"Now that we are able to expedite test results here at the Public Health Lab in Shoreline, we're getting results on suspected local cases a lot faster," said State Health Officer Dr. Kathy Lofy in a statement. "Given the extent of global spread, we expect to identify more individuals with COVID-19 in Washington."

The revelation came after two announcements in Oregon and California earlier Friday that patients were diagnosed with COVID-19 despite no travel to high-risk countries and no known exposure to an infected person. The first patient with a presumed community transmission was diagnosed Wednesday and has been hospitalized for more than a week in Sacramento.

Education

Oregon reports suspected coronavirus case of unknown origin; elementary school to be closed temporarily

Oregon officials confirmed a presumptive case of coronavirus with no known origin, marking the third case of likely community spread in the United States.

The patient, who has no known recent travel or contact with an infected individual, is an adult who lives in Washington County and is an employee at an elementary school in the suburbs of Portland. Officials are working to identify people who had close or prolonged contact with the patient, who is in a hospital and isolated.

School officials at Lake Oswego School District, where the person works, are closing down the elementary school through Wednesday. It is the first instance of a school closing in the United States for coronavirus. The school, Forest Hills Elementary, will be deep cleaned in the meantime.

Another person in Oregon is being tested for coronavirus, and there is no connection between the two individuals, officials said Friday.

Earlier Friday, California reported the second case of suspected community spread of the virus. The cases are in different counties.

WHITE HOUSE

Coronavirus becomes political talking point at Trump rally

President Donald Trump at a South Carolina rally tried to cast the global outbreak of the coronavirus as a liberal conspiracy intended to undermine his first term, lumping it alongside impeachment and the Mueller investigation.

He blamed the press for acting hysterically about the virus, which has now spread to China, Japan, South Korea, Iran, Italy and the U.S, and he downplayed its dangers, saying against expert opinion it was on par with the flu.

"The Democrats are politicizing the coronavirus. They're politicizing it," he said. "They don't have any clue. They can't even count their votes in Iowa. No, they can't. They can't count their votes. One of my people came up to me and said, 'Mr. President, they tried to beat you on Russia, Russia, Russian.' That did not work out too well. They could not do it. They tried the impeachment hoax."

Then Trump called the coronavirus "their new hoax."

At the rally — held on the eve of the Democratic primary in South Carolina — he sought to manage Americans' expectations about the White House's ability to fight it.

After Trump had downplayed the risks of coronavirus, he reassured supporters that the White House was "magnificently organized" in fighting it.

"Whether it is the virus that we're talking about or many other public health threats, the Democrat policy of open borders is a direct threat to the health and well-being of all Americans. Now, you see it with the coronavirus. You see it. You see it with the coronavirus. You see that. When you have this virus or any other virus or any other problem coming in, it's not the only thing that comes in through the border and we are setting records now at the order," Trump said.

HEALTH CARE

FDA commissioner joins coronavirus taske force at Pence request

Vice President Mike Pence added FDA commissioner Stephen Hahn to the White House's coronavirus task force this afternoon, according to a senior HHS official familiar with the decision.

Trump on Wednesday put Pence in charge of the government's response to the outbreak, taking over the supervisory role from HHS Secretary Alex Azar, who is still chairing the task force. Azar had not initially included Hahn or any FDA staff on the task force, despite the agency's numerous responsibilities related to the outbreak.

FDA is monitoring the supply chain for shortages of drugs and medical devices, given China's significant role in manufacturing. It announced the first drug shortage due to the outbreak Thursday.

FDA has also been coordinating closely with CDC and other diagnostic developers who are working on coronavirus tests. FDA is in charge of approving diagnostics and plays a role in overseeing clinical trials of potential coronavirus vaccines and treatments.

HHS referred questions about why Hahn was not previously on the task force to the White House. Pence's office declined to comment.

— Sarah Karlin-Smith

CALIFORNIA

Northern California has 2nd case of community-transmitted coronavirus

OAKLAND — A Northern California patient is believed to be the second person to contract coronavirus in the U.S. from an unknown origin — a troubling development that suggests the virus may be starting to circulate more widely in the community.

Officials from the Santa Clara County Department of Public Health said Friday that an older adult woman with chronic health conditions was diagnosed Friday with coronavirus without having traveled or been in close contact with anyone with the disease.

Sara Cody, health officer for Santa Clara County and director of the Santa Clara County Public Health Department, said the woman's physician contacted county health officials on Wednesday evening — the same day the first coronavirus case of unknown transmission was confirmed in a Vacaville resident.

The physician suggested the patient's symptoms were compatible with the novel coronavirus strain. The county tested the woman and, after learning the results Thursday evening, began the process of identifying anyone she may have come in contact with.

Cody told reporters at a press conference late Friday afternoon that the case signals that it's "now time to shift how we respond."

"The public health measures we've taken so far — isolation, quarantine, contact tracing, travel restrictions — have helped to slow the spread ... but now we need to add other public health tools in the mix," she said.

The county said in an earlier statement that "now is the time to prepare for the possibility of widespread community transmission."

The woman is being treated at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View. El Camino Hospital officials declined to give details about the patient, but said the hospital has "standard protocols" in place for dealing with infectious diseases.

Santa Clara County has nearly 2 million residents and is considered the heart of the densely populated Silicon Valley. It is home to the city of San Jose, which accounts for about half of its population.

It's about 90 miles from Solano County, where the first case of unknown transmission of the coronavirus strain known as COVID-19 occurred. Solano County is home to Travis Air Force Base, where U.S. patients from China and the Diamond Princess cruise ship off Japan have been quarantined. County health officials have stressed that the patient has had no known contact with anyone connected to the base.

— Victoria Colliver

HEALTH

FDA prepares to allow certain lab-made coronavirus tests

Some hospital and academic labs across the U.S. may soon be able use an in-house coronavirus test with the blessing of the Food and Drug Administration, a step that could dramatically increase the health care system's ability to detect any spread of the virus.

"We're going to be announcing very soon expanded testing capabilities in the United States, flexibility from the FDA, that will allow more labs to do testing," HHS Secretary Alex Azar said on Fox News on Friday.

FDA and CDC are preparing guidance that would enable certain sophisticated labs to develop FDA-authorized tests in-house within weeks, Azar said. That step would allow high complexity labs regulated under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments to not rely on CDC for materials.

A source close to the White House tells POLITICO the goal is to allow major academic hospital labs to develop their own tests instead of relying on a diagnostic developed by the CDC. That test had a rocky rollout — with many public health labs struggling to verify it for use.

Labs that attempt to create in-house tests would have to send samples — including their first positive and negative results — to another lab for confirmation, the source said. Examples of a reference lab could include CDC or other public health labs.

The idea is similar to a request sent to the FDA on Monday by the Association of Public Health Laboratories. The group argued that expanding testing capacity by allowing laboratory developed tests is needed given the threat posed by the coronavirus.

Agency Commissioner Stephen Hahn told APHL Wednesday that FDA was open to allowing laboratory developed tests for coronavirus, but cautioned that "appropriate oversight" must be ensured.

— David Lim, Adam Cancryn, Dan Diamond and Rachel Roubein

FLORIDA

Florida Gov. DeSantis hints at new coronavirus travel restrictions

New U.S. travel restrictions could be coming as a result of overseas outbreaks of coronavirus, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday after a meeting with Vice President Mike Pence.

"I know that's actively under consideration and we may end up having some news on that very shortly," DeSantis told reporters in West Palm Beach after the meeting. "If you look at some cases in South Korea, if you look at some places in Italy, taking those measures I think could help interrupt the spread."

Florida health officials currently are testing four people for the virus, Surgeon General Scott Rivkees said. The state has tested 15 others and has no confirmed cases so far.

The state also is monitoring 152 people who are voluntarily self-isolating for two weeks after returning from China.

In total, the state has monitored some 700 people since the outbreak began, Rivkees said.

Departing from remarks Thursday, DeSantis today said he had changed his mind regarding his administration's interpretation of a Florida law that protects the identity of individuals being investigated for diseases that could pose a risk to public health.

"Information where a patient's personal information is not provided, we think that would be fine," DeSantis said, adding that he told Rivkees to provide as much detail as he could to the public on the subject.

— Alexandra Glorioso

wall street

Trump: Coronavirus 'unknowns' fueling drop in stock markets

President Donald Trump on Friday continued to express confidence in his administration's response to the coronavirus outbreak, telling reporters as he left the White House for a campaign rally that "we are very well organized, we have great talent, great doctors, great everyone."

But he also appeared to continue downplaying the severity of the outbreak, saying that he hoped the number of infections within the U.S. would continue to decline. He also continued to blame this week's stock market rout on fears over the Democratic candidates for presidents, though he added that some of the turmoil could be attributed to uncertainties surrounding the outbreak.

"I think it's just people don't know, it's the unknown. You know they look at it and they say how long will this last, I think they are not very happy with the Democrat candidates when they see them, I think that has an impact," he argued. "We think we are going to win, win easily but you never know it is an election. I don't think that's helping. I think that basically it is the unknown a little bit, but I feel very confident and our people are doing a fantastic job."

He defended his administration's travel restrictions early on in the outbreak, teasing a decision "very soon" on a potential addition of new countries to his travel ban, and also applauded Fed Chair Jerome Powell's suggestion that he could intervene should economic conditions worsen.

The president also ripped media coverage of the disease, singling out CNN in particular, and accused some Democrats of "trying to gain political favor by saying a lot of untruths."

EDUCATION

Education Department releases new details on coronavirus task force

The Department of Education Friday afternoon released new details on its coronavirus task force members after rolling out a web page with guidance for schools on the disease.

Frank Brogan, the assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education, is leading the K-12 response, and Bob King, the assistant secretary for postsecondary education, is leading the higher education response, including Federal Student Aid, Liz Hill, a department spokesperson, wrote in an email.

Secretary Betsy DeVos announced at a congressional hearing Thursday that she set up the task force, led by her top deputy, Mick Zais, to coordinate the department's response to the disease.

"Every principal office will report up through this structure," Hill wrote.

Along with leading the department's working group, Zais is also the department's liaison for the interagency coronavirus task force, Hill wrote.

The web page, which went live at 4 p.m., has the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for administrators of child care programs and K-12 schools. It will also include any guidance to the field from the Education Department, if needed, Hill wrote.

The page is also accessible from the department's homepage under "Coronavirus information."

On Friday, Mick Mulvaney, the acting White House chief of staff, warned of potential school shutdowns during the Conservative Political Action Conference.

"Are you going to see some schools shut down? Probably. May you see impacts on public transportation? Sure. But we do this. We know how to handle this," Mulvaney said.

Federal public health officials have urged schools to brace for more cases of the virus in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that schools across the country develop contingency plans for school dismissals and closures, as well as the continuation of classes online.

President Donald Trump said during a news conference on Wednesday that "schools should be preparing and get ready, just in case."

— Nicole Gaudiano and Michael Stratford

wall street

Selloff continues, spurring Wall Street's worst week since 2008

Deepening worries about the global coronavirus outbreak triggered another day of steep losses in the stock market, marking Wall Street's worst week since 2008.

Major indices tumbled despite attempts by Trump administration aides to calm investors and a signal from the Federal Reserve that it would cut rates if needed. The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished Friday down around 350 points, a rebound of sorts after falling by more than 1,000 points during the day. But the Dow still ended the week in correction territory, down more than 13 percent.

And while the Nasdaq rallied to end the day around even, it was down 12 percent for the week along with the S&P 500.

— Caitlin Oprysko

CONGRESS

Coronavirus funding bill on track for House passage next week

Congressional spending leaders aim to complete work on their bipartisan, multibillion-dollar coronavirus response measure over the weekend, despite feuding over whether the Trump administration is even equipped to maximize the cash to stem a U.S. pandemic.

House Appropriations Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) said she expects Congress' top four appropriators will be able to finish the emergency funding bill in the next few days, enabling House passage next week.

The Senate is then likely to vote the week of March 9 to send the legislation on for President Donald Trump's signature, unleashing funding in the potential range of $6 billion to $8 billion to help contain the U.S. spread of the virus.

"We have to get it out fast," Lowey told POLITICO about the bill on Friday.

— Jennifer Scholtes

Finance & tax

Fed opens door to rate cut after week of plunging stocks

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell opened the door on Friday to an interest rate cut next month after a week of investor panic in financial markets that has sent stocks plunging 10 percent.

"The fundamentals of the U.S. economy remain strong," Powell said in a statement released by the central bank. "However, the coronavirus poses evolving risks to economic activity. The Federal Reserve is closely monitoring developments and their implications for the economic outlook. We will use our tools and act as appropriate to support the economy."

— Victoria Guida

WHITE HOUSE

Kudlow: Economy holding up well to coronavirus

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow on Friday said U.S. health experts still believe the risks from the coronavirus outbreak "are on the low side" and said real-time economic data show no reason for pessimism, even as the stock market is set for its worst week since the Great Recession.

"We believe and our top career health experts believe that the risks here, the health risks and so forth are on the low side," Kudlow said on Fox Business, adding that "there's no higher priority than the health and safety of the American people."

"If things do get materially worse, we will be on top of that, and we would be able to deal with that," he said.

As for the economy, Kudlow pointed to recent data showing a positive outlook for jobs and the housing market, as well as strong consumer spending.

"I'm sure in the U.S. and elsewhere there will be more reports of coronavirus cases, but that does not mean that this thing is going to skyrocket in North America and the USA," he said.

"I'm not belittling this. I'm still seeing this as a human tragedy out of China," the National Economic Council chief added. "Alls I'm saying the real-time numbers … are holding up nicely."

— Victoria Guida

WHITE HOUSE

Mulvaney dismisses concern as media panic

The acting White House chief of staff accused the media on Friday of stoking fear over coronavirus as a plot to take down President Donald Trump, warned of potential school shutdowns and appeared to chastise investors for monitoring news coverage of the outbreak.

The freewheeling commentary at a conservative activist conference in Maryland contradicted instructions he had given a day earlier to bring order to the administration's coronavirus messaging strategy by routing it through the office of Vice President Mike Pence.

"That's what this is all about. I got a note today from a reporter saying, what are you going to do today to calm the markets? Really what I might do today to calm the markets is tell people to turn their televisions off for 24 hours," Mulvaney said at the Conservative Political Action Conference.

— Myah Ward

Congress

Republicans storm out of briefing after Democrat rips Trump's response

Several House Republicans walked out of a closed-door coronavirus briefing Friday with Trump health officials in protest after a senior Democrat blasted the Trump administration's handling of the response effort.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) kicked off the briefing sharply criticizing the administration as disorganized and lacking urgency in combating the coronavirus, lawmakers said. Her eight-minute speech frustrated Republicans and some Democrats assembled to hear from the slate of officials from the CDC, NIH and State Department.

"If I wanted to hear the politics of it, I'd read POLITICO or something, let's be serious," said Rep. Paul Mitchell (R-Mich.), who was among the walkouts.

— Adam Cancryn and David Lim

cdc

CDC says 'every' state and local health department could have coronavirus test next week

The Centers for Disease Control hopes to have "every" state and local public health department equipped to test for coronavirus by the end of next week, a top agency official said Friday.

Nancy Messonnier, director of CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, also pushed back on reports that some states have found flaws in the agency's revised coronavirus diagnostic.

"As more cases have been identified and more cases have been available, it has become clearer that with two of those three reactions, we actually are appropriately sensitive and specific in identifying cases," Messonnier told reporters. States that have already validated the original CDC diagnostic can still use that test.

Problems with the first version of the test have delayed its roll out to public health laboratories across the country, amid increasing fears that coronavirus could circulate undetected in the U.S.

Messonnier said today that public health laboratories should validate existing CDC diagnostic kits using new instructions intended to bypass the issues that tripped up many earlier attempts. CDC and FDA say that the change, which drops one of three main components of the test, will not reduce the diagnostic's accuracy.

— David Lim and Sarah Karlin-Smith

white house

Kudlow says response will boost Trump's reelection chances

White House National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow predicted on Friday that Trump's handling of the coronavirus outbreak would have a "very positive effect" on his 2020 reelection campaign.

Kudlow's assertion comes the Trump administration has faced fierce criticism, some of it bipartisan, over its response to the spreading virus.

Calling Trump's news conference on the outbreak earlier this week "one of the best" he'd seen the president give, Kudlow touted his own credentials as a longtime Trump friend, "watcher" and now associate. He said he believes voters will be impressed by what he labeled as "historic and unprecedented actions" taken by the White House to help blunt the virus' spread.

"This is a government-wide effort," he said, "and so I think that folks are gonna look at that and say: 'You know what, he's doing his job very well.' And therefore I think at the end of the day, it's gonna actually help him on that."

Kudlow also denied that the administration sought to "stifle" scientific experts within the government, dismissing a report that health officials were being required to clear all communications on the outbreak through the office of Vice President Mike Pence.

"We always need to clear things," he argued, insisting to reporters that the White House was merely trying to "coordinate" its response and that "no one's being stifled, no one's being told what to say."

Citing the wide swath of agencies involved in outbreak prevention efforts, Kudlow added that "there's a big difference between stifling and coordinating, and I think you have to coordinate."

— Caitlin Oprysko

State Department

State Department offers humanitarian aid to Iran

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday said the United States is prepared to assist Iran in its coronavirus response efforts.

But Pompeo also called on the Islamic Republic's leaders to "cooperate fully and transparently" with international health organizations.

"This offer of support, which has been formally conveyed to Iran through the Government of Switzerland, underscores our ongoing commitment to address health crises and prevent the spread of infectious diseases," Pompeo said in a State Department statement.

The secretary of state's response followed hours after a House Foreign Affairs Committee meeting on the Middle East quickly switched to the secretary of state's role in the response. Pompeo, who was grilled by the committee on the administration's communications with Iran about the virus, addressed concerns about Iran's willingness to accept international assistance in his statement.

"The United States calls on Iran to fully and transparently with international aid and health organizations," the statement said. "We will continue to work closely with countries in the region to help address unmet needs in response to the virus."

— Myah Ward

2020

Steyer calls coronavirus Trump's Katrina

Amid already fierce criticism from Democratic presidential candidates of the administration's coronavirus response, Tom Steyer predicted Friday that the White House's management of the outbreak could result in a national crisis akin to Hurricane Katrina.

"We are witnessing a total failure on the part of the White House right now that risks a Katrina level disaster for our country," the billionaire activist said in a statement, referencing the Category 5 storm that ravaged New Orleans in 2005.

Steyer argued that Vice President Mike Pence was ill-equipped to coordinate the government's efforts to counter the epidemic, and charged that "the pathetic response and chaos that reigns inside the White House risks putting millions of American lives at risk."

President Donald Trump also had harsh words Friday morning for Steyer, urging South Carolina voters to cast their ballots for another Democratic candidate in the state's presidential primary Saturday.

"To the people of South Carolina, Tom Steyer is a joke, laughed at by everyone, a total incompetent. He made money in coal, now he 'hates' coal," Trump wrote on Twitter. "Did you see him fawning over Crazy Bernie? Has no chance, a loser for South Carolina, doesn't deserve your vote!"

Responding to the president's post, Steyer tweeted: "The Coronavirus is your Hurricane Katrina — and yet here you are. You are failing in front of the whole world. Go do your damn job."

— Quint Forgey

State Department

Pompeo dodges coronavirus questions on Capitol Hill

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo could barely contain his annoyance at being asked about the coronavirus Friday during a House committee hearing that was supposed to focus on the Middle East.

"Is that the question? … We agreed that I would come here today to talk about Iran," Pompeo said early on after being asked about the virus.

Pompeo managed, however, to use the coronavirus questions to slam two of his favorite targets, Iran and China, alleging that the two countries had misled the world about the virus' impact, though he also said the U.S. has offered assistance to Iran.

Perhaps the most tense moment came when Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) pressed the secretary on whether he agreed with comments by White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney that media outlets were playing up the coronavirus news to bring down President Donald Trump.

At one point, Mulvaney used the phrase "hoax of the day" — which Lieu latched onto in demanding to know if Pompeo agreed.

Pompeo wouldn't directly say yes or no. "I'm not going to comment on what others are saying," he said, insisting that the State Department is doing what it can to protect Americans from the illness.

Pompeo accused Lieu of trying to score a "gotcha moment." But his reluctance to contradict Mulvaney is par for the course for Pompeo. He takes great pains to avoid publicizing differences between himself and the White House.

— Nahal Toosi

WHITE HOUSE

Trump says Democrats are blaming him for outbreak

President Donald Trump accused congressional Democrats early Friday morning of unfairly blaming the coronavirus' threat to Americans on his administration, tying the global health epidemic even closer to domestic politics.

"So, the Coronavirus, which started in China and spread to various countries throughout the world, but very slowly in the U.S. because President Trump closed our border, and ended flights, VERY EARLY, is now being blamed, by the Do Nothing Democrats, to be the fault of 'Trump,'" the president wrote on Twitter just after midnight.

In another message roughly half an hour later, Trump suggested Democratic lawmakers had been "wasting time" on other legislative priorities and efforts to denigrate Republicans as the coronavirus outbreak proliferated.

"The Do Nothing Democrats were busy wasting time on the Immigration Hoax, & anything else they could do to make the Republican Party look bad, while I was busy calling early BORDER & FLIGHT closings, putting us way ahead in our battle with Coronavirus. Dems called it VERY wrong!" Trump wrote.

— Quint Forgey

Trump targeted Central American migrants. But now, violence and fear are driving more Mexicans to the US. - USA TODAY

Posted: 29 Feb 2020 12:01 AM PST

CLOSE

Border Patrol Agent Joe Romero discusses the increasing number of Mexican migrants crossing into the US. USA TODAY

JUÁREZ ― Valeria was working at her small tiendita in southern Michoacan state when a young man she knew from the neighborhood approached to buy a cigarette.  

Seconds later, a truck full of armed men stopped in front of the shop. They grabbed the young man and left. Valeria ran to the man's wife: Lo levantaron, she said. They took him. He was found dead later that day.

Valeria, who asked that her real name not be used to protect her identity, said police came to her door and warned her, "People say you saw." The next day a family member received a message: Valeria "would be next."

Before the week was over, Valeria's family was packed and gone, headed for the border. Like thousands of Mexicans in recent months, the family fled a combustive mix of crime and poverty in hopes of making it to the U.S. 

In the past four months, Mexicans have once again become the majority of unauthorized migrants caught at the border, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Border Patrol apprehensions of Mexican nationals have risen for two consecutive years, jumping 30% from a 40-year low, reversing a decade-long downward trend.

And while the U.S. has successfully pressured Mexico to crack down on Central American migrants, analysts say the Mexican government hasn't created the economic and security conditions that might keep its own people from leaving. The country is struggling with its highest-ever level of homicides and a stagnant GDP, while a booming U.S. economy simultaneously creates a powerful draw north.

The weak economy and a deteriorating security situation in Mexico "absolutely do drive migration," said Christopher Wilson, deputy director of the Mexico Institute at the Wilson Center think tank in Washington, D.C. "We should be concerned that the Mexican economy is not growing and, in certain states, is in recession. And violence is once again on the rise and hitting record levels."

Border apprehensions of Mexicans outpace other nationalities 

The upswing in Mexican migration comes eight years after the Pew Research Center came to a stunning conclusion: After three decades of mass migration north, more Mexicans were leaving the U.S. than coming. Before that, in the decade before the Great Recession, U.S. border agents detained almost a million Mexicans each year. 

Analysts called the 2012 phenomenon "net zero migration" and attributed the steep decline to increased deportations from the U.S. combined with a long-term demographic trend toward smaller families in Mexico, an improving economy and the country's efforts to fight organized crime.

But in recent years, Mexico's economic and security gains have proved fragile. These days, entire extended families are once again picking up and leaving their hometowns, from Michoacan, as Valeria's family did, as well as from Guerrero and Zacatecas states, all plagued by violence and anemic economic growth.

The number of Mexicans family units apprehended with another family member at the border in the first four months of fiscal 2020 ― 4,425 ― was on pace to be more than double the 6,004 Mexicans traveling as a family unit apprehended in all of fiscal 2019, according to CBP.

Overall, border agents apprehended 63,405 Mexican nationals in the four-month period, 87% of them single adults, compared with 47,000 Central Americans detained over the same period. In contrast, border agents detained 144,836 Central Americans and 44,832 Mexicans during the first four months of fiscal 2019. Border agents detained 607,000 Central Americans and 166,000 Mexicans in 2019.

Mark Morgan, the acting commissioner for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said in a recent news conference that "since we've all but addressed the crisis from the Northern Triangle countries," of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, smuggling networks are "looking to other vulnerable groups," such as Mexicans, he added.

Should current trends continue, the number of Mexican apprehensions could reach the highest point since 2016, before Donald Trump won the presidency.

The U.S. government has recently taken preemptive efforts to deter Mexican migration. CBP launched a program in late October to fast-track Mexican asylum claims called the Humanitarian Asylum Review Process, or HARP. The program returns asylum seekers quickly if their claims are found to have no merit. Hundreds of Mexicans, including Valeria and six other members of her family, have been returned or deported to Mexico under the program.

The ACLU sued the government in December, alleging the program violates due process for migrants.On Thursday, Morgan told a House subcommittee that slightly more than 1,200 people have been enrolled in HARP.  

Mexico confronts record number of murders, rampant violence

But as violence in Mexico intensifies, a growing murder rate means more people will likely head north, hoping to reach safety in the U.S. 

Prior to 2006, homicides in Mexico hovered below 15,000 nationwide, peaking at 14,619 in 1999. But when then-President Felipe Calderon took office in 2006, he deployed the military to fight the cartels, which sent decreasing homicide rates soaring once again. By the time he left office six years later, murders had climbed to 21,459 in 2012.

Government statistics show the number of homicides dipped again in 2014. But murders have climbed rapidly ever since, continuously breaking the previous year's record for three years in a row. 

Last year was a benchmark year for bloodshed in Mexico. The country reached its highest level of homicides in modern times: 34,582 dead in 2019, an increase from the previous record of 33,341 in 2018. Driving the violence are criminal organizations in the country, previously controlled by half a dozen kingpins, that have splintered and multiplied and are now fighting turf battles and wreaking havoc on communities across Mexico.

In the past, eruptions of violence "were shorter in duration. What we are seeing now is that the battles are raging on and there is no end in sight," said Scott Stewart, a Mexico security analyst with Austin-based intelligence firm Stratfor. 

After taking office in Mexico in 2018, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador laid out long- and short-term plans to tackle the country's problems with violence.

Long-term, he said he would tackle the "root causes" of the violence, including a lack of opportunities for young people. Short-term, he would create a new 70,000-strong National Guard focused on combating the rising violence nationwide.

But after Trump's demands that Mexico curb Central American migration ― communicated publicly in a relentless Twitter campaign in early 2019 ― López Obrador commanded his generals to deploy more than 21,000 troops of the newly created force to Mexico's southern and northern borders to stop the flow of foreign migrants.

That situation created a paradox, analysts say: U.S. pressure to stem migration through Mexico forced Mexico to shift resources from fighting the very violence driving its own people north. 

'They began sending notes': Mexico extortion threats intensify

Ever Navarrete Gonzalez, 24, drove a taxi in Costa Chica, Guerrero, a major hotspot for violence in Mexico, in a state where the economy shrunk 1% in the third quarter year over year. Navarrete Gonzalez fled north with his wife, Monica Robledo Ramirez, 23, in January after several taxi drivers died for refusing to pay cartels an extortion fee. 

Navarrete Gonzalez was next in line, they learned. 

"When we left, we decided to go because three days earlier they had killed a (taxi driver)," Robledo Ramirez said. "They began sending notes. And in those notes, my husband's name appeared."

The couple took a flight north and ended up in Nogales, Mexico, just south of the Arizona border, where other relatives had successfully crossed before. 

"We didn't have as much money to pay for what they were asking," Robledo Ramirez said. "Each time they would charge him more. They were charging him between 2,000 and 3,000 pesos ($107 to $161). That was most of what he earned."

The minimum wage in Guerrero last year was a little over 2,000 pesos ($108) a month.

For three months, the couple waited to present their claims, staying at the migrant shelter with dozens of other Mexican asylum seekers.

"I explained to them that because you're married, you don't have children, or anything like this, you're going to detention," the Rev. Rodger Babnew, who runs the migrant shelter for the nonprofit Cruzando Fronteras in Nogales, recalled telling them. "And they said, 'We want to try.'"

U.S. authorities detained Navarrete Gonzalez but deported Robledo Ramirez to Nogales, Sonora, determining that she didn't qualify for asylum. They gave her a 10-year ban to enter the U.S. The future of her husband, locked up in detention 100 miles away, is uncertain.

Robledo Ramirez said she knows one thing only: "We left because we were afraid, so I don't plan on going back."

They're far from the only ones finding themselves in similar situations along the border. 

León Fernando Ruiz Beltrán, 18, is staying at the same shelter as Robledo Ramirez, along with his parents and two younger siblings. 

They left Michoacan in December for Nogales when the extortion from cartel gunmen in his town forced his dad to shut his store. The family also faced serious threats from his younger brother's school principal, who they accuse of bribing local authorities and not addressing an incident in which classmates cut off the tip of the boy's finger.

"We came thinking that in a day or two we'd be able to get across. That's what they had told us," Ruiz Beltran said, shivering from the cold Nogales winter. "But when we got here, we learned it wasn't like that."

The priest who runs the Anglican shelter in Juarez where Valeria and her family are staying says that among the Mexicans arriving he sees a pattern repeating itself.

"There are three clear tendencies," for why they migrate, said the Rev. Hector Trejo. "Among the Mexicans, violence is the top reason. The second is economic necessity. And the third is the lack of employment opportunities. Often it's a combination of the three but one reason always prevails."

Economic factors in Mexico and US push, pull people north

U.S. officials are keenly aware of the economic challenges in Mexico and their potential to push people north. Morgan, the acting CBP commissioner, said criminal networks are cashing in on that economic vulnerability.

"They're exploiting the challenges with the economy right now," he said, "to really drive and convince and trick a lot of these individuals."

They say, "'Just trust us and we'll get you to the United States and everything we'll be fine,'" he added.

Mexico's equivalent of the Census Bureau, INEGI, said last month that the Mexican economy shrunk by 0.1% in 2019 ― the first contraction in a decade. Most projections have the country's economy growing at an anemic 1% to 2% this year. 

By contrast, the U.S. economy has seen uninterrupted growth for nearly a decade, with unemployment now at a low 3.6%.

López Obrador's administration has instituted socioeconomic programs designed to help Mexico's poor, such as monthly cash transfers to low-income students, the elderly or people with disabilities. Analysts say that may be keeping some people from leaving, for now. The risk becomes whether the administration's social programs, economic development plans and efforts to eradicate violence will deliver results. 

Analysts agree that having family or acquaintances living in the U.S. can also play a role for migrants in determining whether to leave or not. 

Navarrete and Robledo Ramirez were headed for South Carolina, before he was detained and she was deported.

U.S. asylum officers make their determinations independent of each other, yielding mixed results from a single claim. While Valeria and six other family members were deported despite the threats she faced directly, asylum officers released four of her family members, including two grandchildren, into the U.S. They headed for Ohio, where relatives took them in. 

'A lot of evading activity': Migrants take increased risks to cross border

Other Mexican migrants are taking greater risks to illegally enter the U.S., turning to old smuggling tactics that place their lives in danger. 

Inside a Border Patrol station in El Paso, agents fixated on a black-and-white video image from early one February morning: men, eight of them, running down through the Rio Grande's concrete bed, knee-deep with water, up to the 18-foot border fence and over it, with a rope ladder.

Border Patrol labels every crossing with a number. This was "Event 231." All eight men ― from Mexico, Guatemala and Brazil ― were apprehended. Hours later, a scrap of yellow rope was still hanging from the rust-colored steel fence.

"We're starting to see a lot of evading activity," said Border Patrol agent Ramiro Cordero, a spokesman for the agency's El Paso sector. "We're starting to see the criminal organizations working hand to hand on either side to avoid detection."

Recent months have seen tragedies and near-tragedies at the border.

A 62-year-old Mexican man lost his life after a smuggler's boat capsized off the California coast earlier this month. In January, CBP in Texas found 36 migrants dangerously trapped in a dump truck with a false bed, under gravel and dirt, banging to get out. Agents found two Mexican nationals stuffed in a car trunk in rural Arizona in November.

Stuck at the border, with no way home

U.S. border officials said they expect apprehensions at the U.S.-Mexico border to go up in the coming months as the weather gets warmer. But as the administration rolls out programs like HARP to other parts of the border, it's unclear how many more Mexican migrants will attempt to make the journey north.

On a recent day, Valeria sat on a bench in the migrant shelter, wiping tears from her face, trying not to smudge thick cradles of eyeliner under her eyes.

In Michoacán, she said, she and her three grown children and their families lived on the same land, in homes that opened on a common patio ― without riches but with her grandchildren close. The danger she faced upended that life, she said.

"I'm never going to get over it," she said of the threats and the family's failed attempt to reach the U.S. "I never imagined this. I thought I would always be with my grandchildren."

She and her husband will stay in Juarez, she said, and find a way to survive while they figure out what to do. They can't go back to Michoacan, she said.

Trejo, who has hosted Valeria and her family for weeks, said that Juarez shelters are prepared whether the Mexican migration intensifies or shifts again.

"Ultimately," he said, "people who have been displaced are looking for solutions, and they can be very creative."

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Companies are canceling U.S. domestic travel over coronavirus fears - The Washington Post

Posted: 28 Feb 2020 03:33 PM PST

"The cancellations are starting to move toward North America," said Scott Solombrino, executive director of the Global Business Travel Association, which estimates that the slowdown in global travel has already cost American businesses $7 billion this year. "Obviously the concern is that this will have a long-term impact on the U.S. economy."

Analysts said wide-scale cancellations — which so far have been concentrated in large cities such as New York, Washington and Los Angeles — are starting to hit smaller U.S. cities, as companies change their internal travel policies.

Workday called off a sales conference in Orlando scheduled for next week, while Google and Facebook canceled multiple events in California and Nevada between March and May. Amazon this week told employees to put off "nonessential travel" in the United States, though it did not offer details on what types of trips would qualify. (Amazon founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)

Mounting cancellations, analysts said, are likely to have ripple effects throughout the economy, particularly for upscale hotels that rely on group bookings for about one-third of their sales, according to Jan Freitag, senior vice president of lodging insights for STR, a hospitality research firm.

"The most noticeable impact so far has been in group travel, with large conferences around the world being canceled," he said. "These large group conferences take years and years to plan. If they don't happen now, there is a good chance they won't happen at all."

Executives at Marriott International, the world's largest hotel chain, said this week that group bookings in the United States have started to take a hit. The Bethesda-based hospitality giant said much of the impact so far has been concentrated in Asia, where it has 800 hotels.

"To date, we have not yet seen a significant impact in the U.S., and our first quarter is off to a solid start, but the situation is fluid," Leeny Oberg, Marriott's chief financial officer, told CNBC on Wednesday. "We have seen a handful of citywide cancellations."

Booking Holdings, which owns Priceline, Booking.com and Kayak, said this week that it expects hotel room bookings to fall as much as 10 percent this quarter because of the coronavirus.

Shares of hotel companies and airlines plunged this week, as coronavirus-related fears led global markets to post their worst weekly losses since the Great Recession. Shares of Marriott and InterContinental Hotels Group fell about 9 percent apiece, while American Airlines and Jet Blue posted declines of more than 20 percent. Expedia Group, meanwhile, posted a 13 percent drop in share price.

"Every day we think we could be near a bottom, and every day we are not," Helane Becker, an airline industry analyst for Cowen, wrote in a note to clients this week. "The virus has spread, and the question is how much do people change their travel plans."

Hostelling International USA, which oversees nearly 50 properties around the country, said group cancellations are on the rise. Individual travelers, though, are "so far going strong," spokeswoman Netanya Trimboli said.

The company is taking extra precautions by training employees on how to properly clean surfaces and encouraging them to stay home if they feel sick. New signs at its hostels remind guests to wash their hands and cough into their elbows.

Other hotels also report stalling demand, as Americans put off travel plans. But analysts say the largest impact on the hospitality market could come from a slowdown of Chinese visitors, who last year contributed $34 billion to the U.S. economy, according to Philadelphia-based Tourism Economics. Chinese visitors typically spend about $6,000 and spend an average of 15 nights in a hotel while in the United States, the firm said. It expects the number of Chinese travelers to the United States to drop by 25 percent this year.

"Right now there's a lot of uncertainty," said Adam Sacks, president of Tourism Economics. "It's shaping up to be very similar to SARS, when we saw very severe impacts."

This time, he said, could be worse: Visits from China to the United States have grown nearly 13-fold since 2002, making a possible coronavirus outbreak much more devastating to the U.S. economy than the SARS epidemic was in 2003.

"Reservations are at a standstill," said Kim Lee, who handles sales at Arc The.Hotel, a boutique property in Washington's Foggy Bottom neighborhood, where multiple groups have canceled reservations in recent weeks. "We've seen a real decline."

US stocks erase $3.18 trillion in value this week amid coronavirus tailspin - CNBC

Posted: 28 Feb 2020 01:55 PM PST

The coronavirus wiped $3.18 trillion in market value from U.S. stocks this week, according to estimates from S&P Dow Jones Indices.

The equity benchmark lost $203 billion in value on Friday, adding to its $2.997 trillion loss from Monday to Thursday, the firm's Senior Index Analyst Howard Silverblatt told CNBC. The S&P 500 index has lost $3.58 trillion in value from its Feb. 19 high.

Stocks cratered again on Friday as investors fled riskier assets amid intense fears about a slowdown in global growth caused by the deadly coronavirus. All three major average ended the week deep in correction territory, more than 10% off their most recent highs. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost nearly 3,500 points since Monday.

The spreading deadly virus has sent shock waves through the markets. Companies like Microsoft, Apple, Nike, United Airlines and Mastercard have all raised flags about the coronavirus and its impact on their earnings.

Stocks got a slight reprise when Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said Friday the central bank is monitoring the coronavirus for risks it poses to the U.S. economy and pledged action if necessary. Right after that, a report from the Washington Post said the Trump administration is entertaining the idea of tax cuts to combat the economic impact of the coronaviorus. Stocks ended the day off their lows, banking on some sort of central bank or government response over the weekend.

Subscribe to CNBC PRO for exclusive insights and analysis, and live business day programming from around the world.

Coronavirus live updates: Trump calls outbreak a 'hoax,' South Korea has record jump in cases - CNBC

Posted: 28 Feb 2020 03:54 PM PST

This is a live blog. Please check back for updates.

All times below are in Beijing time.

  • Total confirmed cases: More than 85,000
  • Total deaths: At least 2,924

7:31 pm: Italy postpones more soccer games

Italy's top-flight Serie A soccer league will see more matches postponed this weekend due to the outbreak of the new coronavirus. Juventus vs. Inter will not take place, along with four other matches, according to the country's footballing authorities. Italy has over 800 confirmed cases of the virus, one of the largest outside of China. —Clinch

6:24 pm: Iran says its death toll has risen to 436

The new coronavirus has killed 43 people in the Islamic Republic, according to an Iranian Health Ministry spokesman on Saturday. The country now has 593 confirmed cases with a total of over 720 across the whole of the Middle East, according to AP. —Clinch

5:59 pm: HNA Group asks for government help

5:27 pm: South Korea records its biggest daily jump in infections

South Korea has 219 new coronavirus cases, according to Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).

It said Saturday that the 219 added to the 594 cases confirmed earlier in the day, and brought the country's total infections to 3,150. According to Reuters, the country has therefore logged a record daily increase since South Korea confirmed its first patient on Jan. 20. —Clinch

3:45 pm: Kuwait health ministry urges citizens not to travel

A health ministry official has called on citizens in Kuwait to avoid travel due the coronavirus outbreak, according to Reuters. The country has not had any new cases over the last 24 hours, the official said at a media conference. —Clinch

2:55 pm: Australia to bar foreign nationals traveling from Iran

Australia is to stop the entry of foreign nationals who have traveled from Iran. The country's health department issued new guidance on Saturday saying that, from March 1, if you're an Australian citizen or permanent resident, or immediate family, that is returning from Iran you'll need to self-isolate for 14 days from the time you left the country. "The Chief Medical Officer has advised that there is a high level of concern about widespread community transmission of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Iran," a statement said. —Clinch

12:31 pm: Washington State reports two 'presumptive positive' cases

The U.S. state of Washington has classified two COVID-19 cases in the state as "presumptive positives," including one case that appears travel-related and one whose origin is unknown. A woman in her 50s who lives in King County recently returned from South Korea. The second case, of a high school student from Snohomish County, is still being investigated. Both individuals are in home isolation, officials said. —Kemp

12:23 pm: South Korea reports almost 600 new cases

South Korea reported 594 new cases as of Saturday morning, bringing its total to 2,931, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It also said there were three additional deaths, bringing that total to 16. Of the new cases, 476 are from Daegu, South Korea's fourth-largest city, where a large number of infections have been reported. —Tan

11:21 am: Oregon's first reported case appears to be 'community-transmitted'

The U.S. state of Oregon reported its first case of novel coronavirus, public health officials announced. The individual, an adult who lives in Washington County, has no history of travel to a country where the virus is known to be circulating and is not believed to have had close contact with other confirmed cases. Officials "are considering it a likely community-transmitted case," they said. Washington County lies just to the west of Portland, the state's largest city. —Kemp

11:05 am: United Airlines offers pilots a month off as demand for China flights collapses

United Airlines is offering pilots to take a month off at reduced pay, according to a union memo sent on Friday, a measure that follows flight cuts due to the spread of coronavirus. United on Friday announced because of the illness. The Chicago-based carrier has more service to Asia than any other U.S. airline. —Josephs

10:15 am: China factory activity is slammed by coronavirus, showing record contraction

Manufacturing in China shrank at the fastest pace ever recorded in February, as the world's second-biggest economy was stung by the coronavirus outbreak that began in Wuhan province and has spread throughout the country. China's Purchasing Manager's Index (PMI) came in at a reading of 35.7, the National Bureau of Statistics said on Saturday. A reading below 50 indicates a contraction. Though analysts polled by Reuters expected to see factory activity decline, their forecast had been for a reading of 46. The PMI number shows a hard hit to an economy that was already being damaged by the trade war between China and the United States. —Kemp

9:37 am: North Korean leader calls for stronger anti-virus efforts

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called for stronger anti-virus efforts to guard against COVID-19, saying there will be "serious consequences" if the illness spreads to the country. During a ruling party meeting, Kim called for the country's anti-epidemic headquarters to strengthen screening and tests to seal off all "channels and space through which the infectious disease may find its way," Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency said Saturday. Kim emphasized that all fields and units of the country should "unconditionally" obey quarantine instructions laid-out by the anti-epidemic headquarters. He called for the strict enforcement of preventive measures against what he described as a tricky virus that spreads rapidly. "In case the infectious disease spreading beyond control finds its way into our country, it will entail serious consequences," the agency quoted Kim as saying during the politburo meeting of the Workers' Party. —Associated Press

9:11 am: 3M ramps up N95 respirator production

3M is ramping up production of its N95 respirator mask, hosting job fairs, making offers on the spot and expanding its assembly line with robots. In Aberdeen, South Dakota, more than 650 employees at one of 3M's largest manufacturing facilities are working overtime to increase face mask production. "We immediately ramped up production in this facility," Andy Rehder, plant manager at 3M, said. "We have capacity to do that and we did that immediately ... really from a more standard five-day to a seven-day week." —Mody

A worker restock popular 3M N95 particulate filtering face mask at a store in East Palo Alto, California, United States on January 26, 2020.

Yichuan Cao | NurPhoto | Getty Images

9:05 am: China confirms 427 new cases

China's National Health Commission reported 427 new confirmed cases and 47 deaths over the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 79,251 as of 4 a.m. Beijing time. Across the world, the number of new cases tops 84,124 as new infections outside of China spread faster than within the country, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. At least 2,867 people have died since the virus first emerged from Wuhan, China about two months ago. —Kopecki

8:43 am: Trump says the coronavirus is the Democrats' 'new hoax'

President Donald Trump said Democrats are using the virulent coronavirus as a "hoax" to damage him and his administration. "The Democrats are politicizing the coronavirus," he said from a campaign rally in North Charleston, South Carolina. "One of my people came up to me and said 'Mr. President they tried to beat you on Russia, Russia, Russia. That didn't work out too well.' They couldn't do it. They tried the impeachment hoax that was on a perfect conversation," he continued. "This is their new hoax," he said, referring to the coronavirus. —Franck

7:43 am: Dow caps worst week for Wall Street since the financial crisis

Stocks tumbled once again on Friday, capping off their worst week since the financial crisis, as worries over the coronavirus and its impact on the economy continue to rattle investor sentiment. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 357.28 points, or more than 1%, to 25,409.36. The 30-stock Dow briefly fell more than 1,000 points then rallied into the close in a wild trading session characteristic of the week. The S&P 500 slid 0.8% to 2,954.22. The Nasdaq Composite closed flat at 8,567.37 but fell as much as 3.5% on the day. For the week, the Dow fell more than 12% — its biggest weekly percentage loss since 2008. On a points basis, the Dow fell more than 3,500 points, far and away its largest weekly point loss ever. It also ended the week in correction territory, down 14.1% from an intraday record high set Feb. 12. —Imbert, Huang

Traders work on the floor of the New York stock Exchange (NYSE) on on February 24, 2020 in New York City. Stocks fell over 1000 points on Monday as global concerns grow about the economic impact of the Coronavirus.

Spencer Platt

6:45 am: United Airlines postpones investor day

United Airlines has decided to postpone its investor day which was scheduled for next week given the uncertainty the coronavirus outbreak has created on booking and revenue projections. Earlier this week United pulled its 2020 guidance to the uncertainty created by Coronavirus. United shares were down Friday as airlines continued their sharp declines of the week as worries of a broader slowdown in travel demand rattles investors. United also cut its Asia service amid a sharp drop in demand to the region. —LeBeau

6:30 am: US State Department raises Italy travel advisory to Level 3, stating 'reconsider travel'

The State Department on Friday asked citizens to "reconsider travel to Italy" due to the coronavirus outbreak. "Many cases of COVID-19 have been associated with travel to or from mainland China or close contact with a travel-related case, but sustained community spread has been reported in Italy,' the State Department advisory said. "Sustained community spread means that people have been infected with the virus, but how or where they became infected is not known, and the spread is ongoing. At this time, CDC recommends avoiding non-essential travel to Italy." —Bhattacharjee

6:19 am: Santa Clara County health officials confirm new coronavirus case, 10th in California

The Santa Clara Public Health Department announced a third case of coronavirus in the county, which brings the total number of coronavirus cases in California to 10 and the total number of cases in the U.S. to 63, most of which are passengers of the Diamond Princess cruise ship and evacuees from Wuhan, China. County Officials will hold a press conference at 7 p.m. ET to discuss more details. The county said this case is different from the other two since the patient, an elderly woman, doesn't have a travel history or any known contact with a traveler or infected person. "This new case indicates that there is evidence of community transmission but the extent is still not clear," said Dr. Sara Cody, Health Officer for Santa Clara County and Director of the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department. "I understand this may be concerning to hear, but this is what we have been preparing for. Now we need to start taking additional actions to slow down the spread of the disease." —Bhattacharjee

6:05 am: Corona beer sales have NOT taken a hit from virus fears

In any virus outbreak, there is sure to be plenty of misinformation that circulates, but it usually isn't about beer. Constellation Brands, which sells Corona Extra beer, put out a press release Friday that said any worries about its beer sales are "unfounded." In fact, the brand's sales are up 5% for the four weeks ended Feb. 16, outpacing its trend over the past year. Earlier, ad agency 5WPR said it polled 737 people over the phone and found 16% were confused about whether Corona beer was some somehow related to the novel coronavirus. "We've seen no impact to our people, facilities or operations and our business continues to perform very well," the company said, adding it doesn't have much exposure to international markets. —Cheddar-Berk

Read CNBC's coverage from CNBC'S U.S. team overnight here: Fears fuel sell-off, new California case, United postpones investor day.

— CNBC's Weizhen TanSeema Mody, Thomas Franck, Fred Imbert, Eustance Huang, Phil LeBeau, Riya Bhattacharjee, Christina Cheddar-Berk, Berkeley Lovelace Jr., William Feuer, Noah Higgins-Dunn, Leslie Josephs and Reuters contributed to this report.

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